by Phil Maxey
With the help of some others Eden pulled back the lid of one of the empty sarcophagi and heaved Finn’s body into it. As the heavy lid was pushed back into place, she placed her hand on the cold stone, took a deep breath then turned back to the others.
“When you get to the end of this tunnel, it will lead out into a park in Oxford, from there you all must make your own ways to your destinations. I’m afraid the storm will hamper you a great deal, but I trust each of you to do your houses proud.” She gave a faltering smile. “Until we meet again.” With that everyone started to file past Miss Toper into the tunnel.
Eventually only she and Jax were left in the flickering light of the crypt. She gave a knowing nod to Jax as she awkwardly picked up Shakespeare and they both placed their hands on the ancient walls around them. Slowly at first, the scene in front of them changed from one of old but well-kept stonework to a scene of ruin and decay. Above their heads, the hordes of Draugr found themselves in a house that was ageing in front of their eyes.
The lush walls and furnishings disintegrated and dissolved into dust. Beams started to fall from the rafters and the floors started to fall apart. The evil creatures ran for the lives as best they could.
Miss Toper and Jax then quickly moved into the tunnel, closing it behind them.
At the other end of the tunnel, the first of the Order of the Ring came to an old iron gate which was covered in ice. They pushed it open and walked out into the chilled night air.
CHAPTER 20
Kat and Darren pulled into the outskirts of Glastonbury. For a town of over nine thousand people the lack of light coming from houses was noticeable.
Multiple times their progress ground to a halt because of the snow-laden roads ahead of them, but luckily ‘Jenny’ and not wanting to give up and go back past where they had their encounter, got them to their destination. It was 10 p.m.
“OK we’re here, now where?” said Darren.
Kat had her head buried in a small map of the area. “Number 18, Benedict Street, stay on this road then turn into Magdalene Street.”
As they moved slowly along the main road, looking for the turn off, vehicles lay abandoned by the side of the road.
It was the first time they had talked since getting back on the road, for which Kat was glad. She had some idea of what things had attacked them, and she wasn’t in the mood to try to explain the last few days to her driver.
Soon Victorian and older homes were lining the road they were moving along.
“Next left should be Benedict Street.”
Darren turned into a narrow road, full of small shops with brightly lit neon Christmas lights in their windows, and they only had to travel a short distance to reach their journeys end.
Kat leaned over into the back seat and placed the makeshift lead around Chip’s neck. She then reached forwards grabbing her backpack, and went to get out then stopped. “Oh sorry, I almost forgot payment.” She went to pull her phone out.
“No, it’s fine. The video I’ll make of the encounter will more than pay for this trip anyway.”
She then went to open the door, but stopped. The idea of entering the old shop alone, made her hesitate. She had no idea what she might find inside. “I know this might sound a bit strange, but I’ve not been here before, would you come in with me, while I check things out?”
Usually she was happy to explore by herself, but the last few days and hours had been anything but normal.
Darren looked like he was weighing up things in his head. “OK, let me find somewhere to park, I should really get an interview with you anyway.”
Ignoring the latter part of his comment, she pointed further along the street. “I think there’s a car park around back, if you can find the access road.” She got out, stepping down onto the ice-encrusted surface.
The chilled night air was bracing as she slung the backpack on her back, then opened the back door for Chip to jump down. Once she closed both doors, Darren drove off.
There it was. Her grandfather’s sad-looking bookshop that now belonged to her. Structurally it was no different to what she saw online, but standing there, it seemed taller than she thought, looming over her and her canine companion. It didn’t help that the nearby street light wasn’t working so its shadows looked even deeper than the buildings around it.
She briefly looked at the slim basement windows, with the bars across and shuddered. I’ll check that part out in the morning.
Chip tugged at his leash. “Don’t worry we’ll be inside soon.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the old key. Stepping carefully up the kerb, she slid the key into the lock and turned it. The door opened with a creak and a musty smell of old books escaped into the night.
Stepping inside, the temperature immediately felt warmer. Her fingers searched across the Edwardian wallpaper on the nearby wall for a light switch which she found. Flicking it up and down had no effect. “Great …”
Closing the door behind her, she reached into her backpack and pulled out a torch. Turning it on, the small cone of light revealed walls of old books from floor to ceiling, most covered in thick layers of dust and spider webs.
She stepped forward, trying her best not to tread on any of the piles of books that lay like stone pillars around the confined space and moved through the shop. Towards the back was a small counter, and behind that a door, with a written sign. “Staff only” stuck to it, another closed door was to the right of that.
She tried the latter first. It opened easily. Shining her light revealed a small hallway with another door, and at the end what looked like an external door. A noise came from beyond it. She walked along the narrow corridor until she could hear Darren complaining. Pulling the latch back, she shone her light directly at him.
“Hey, it’s me! No need to blind me. Eventually found the car park.” He looked at the small hallway. “Looks a bit gloomy, you live here?”
“Not sure.” It was a cryptic reply for which he had no good comeback.
“Right. Well I’ll take a cup of tea if you’re offering.”
“I’m not sure if my grandfather has tea, but I’ll look. Come in.”
He closed the rear door and they walked back to the door behind the counter. Opening it, they walked upstairs, and out into a small hallway. It was sparsely decorated with the same antiquated wallpaper that covered the walls on the ground floor, and a smattering of framed sepia photographs on the walls.
Kat opened the first of four doors. It was a small but smart kitchen. Opening the other doors, revealed a living room, bedroom, and bathroom.
Darren walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. “This place looks like it hasn’t changed since the forties! some of this stuff will fetch a fortune online. How old was your grandfather?”
“Umm, he was in his eighties when he died I think.”
He picked up an ornate jade lamp. “Used to be into antiques when I was a kid.”
She walked into the kitchen, and opened the first cupboard that she found, it was empty. The second was full of tins of olives and nothing else. The third revealed a small tin marked. “Tea.” Turning on the tap produced a burst of water which made her and Chip jump, it then settled down to a steady stream.
Soon she had two mugs of tea, which she took into the living room, placing them down on coasters. She sat, realising she was still holding onto Chip’s leash.
Letting it go, the dog lay next to her feet anyway.
Darren got up, walked to the window, and looked out into the night. The snow was falling again. “This weather is definitely not right. A few days of snow maybe, but its been falling for over a week now. What with our encounter tonight, I think …” he seemed reluctant to continue. “I think it might be an invasion.” His words came out with such sternness, that she couldn’t help but burst out laughing. When he looked back at her incredulously, her laughing increased.
“We were abducted by aliens! You saw them, how is this funny?” He sat heavily on the sofa. “If you
are magically pregnant, don’t come complaining to me!”
She continued laughing. She wasn’t even sure why what he said was so funny to her, what she was living was just as crazy as whatever he thought they had just experienced.
“I was going to do an interview with you, but I can see it would be pointless.” He got to his feet.
Her laughing died down and she looked around the small room at all the furnishings from another era and felt alone. “The weathers still really bad, and maybe the aliens are still watching above us. If you want to sleep on the sofa you’re welcome to.” She felt bad encouraging his paranoia, but she really didn’t want to spend the night in the shop alone.
Darren looked down at the two-seater Edwardian period piece and rubbed his chin. “It’s not very big, but I’ll make it work.”
CHAPTER 21
A small band of people walked quickly across the snow-heavy streets in the heart of Oxford. Christmas decorations blinked intermittently through the fleeting snowfall, and every shadow looked rich with the promise of danger.
“We need to find shelter, we are too exposed out here,” said Sparrow.
“Yeah, I don’t fancy freezing to death on Christmas day,” said Justin.
“I’m not talking about the weather, anyway I think it's gone midnight.”
“Oh.”
“I have a little money for a hotel, but not enough for us all. I might have to smuggle you in.”
“Good luck getting a room in this city on tonight of all nights!” said a woman, still wearing her shoulder armour.
The night around them was eerily silent, as they crossed cobbled streets and past dimly lit prestigious homes.
Keeping close together they moved past a large brightly lit store front, turning a corner straight into the headlights of a police car that was sitting with its engine idling.
“Shit,” said Justin.
“Just follow my lead,” said Jax, who immediately started falling around the pavement, and shouting. “Merry Christmas!”
One of the policemen in the car, rolled his eyes and got out, walking up to them. “You people need to get to your homes!” he shouted.
Sparrow stepped forward. “Can you help us, we came up for a party, but it was cancelled now we don’t have anywhere to stay for the night.”
The copper’s eyes flitted between Sparrow’s sharp arrows and the swords of the others.
She laughed, pointing at her quiver. “It was a fancy dress party; do you know anywhere we can stay?”
The policeman looked rueful. “Going to be hard to find anywhere at this time on Christmas night. You could try the YMCA, it’s about a hundred yards in that direction,” he pointed behind him, “but they’re probably not going to let you bring those fake weapons in with you.”
Sparrow nodded.
“Much obliged!” shouted Jax as they all filed past the policemen.
Soon they were standing outside a modern five-storey red-brick building, with about fifty percent of the room lights still on.
Sparrow took off her quiver, and handed it with her bow to Justin. “Everyone wait here, I’ll see what rooms they have” She walked quickly up the snow-covered slope, and pressed a button on the wall near the large glass doors. She then went inside.
Justin looked at the four people around him and smiled awkwardly. He then realized he was back in the real world. My father! He went to reach for his cellular phone and realized he had left it back in the old house. Damn.
“Don’t suppose anyone has got a mobile phone I could use?” He had given up on a positive reply before the last word had even left his lips.
“Sure, use mine,” said Jax, unlocking the screen, then tossing his phone to him.
“Thanks,” said Justin, surprised.
He went to dial his home number, when Sparrow appeared and beckoned them all up the slope.
At the top, she leaned closer to them. “The weapons are a problem, find somewhere close by we can hide them, then we will try to sneak them in tomorrow. And they only had a family sized room, which I got for one night, it sleeps six so we got somewhere to sleep for the night at least.” She looked back at a burly security guard who was paying them particular attention from behind a counter in the lobby.
They were soon in the large room, with single and double beds, some of which were bunk beds.
“It’s not exactly a Grand Hotel, but it will do,” said Jax, collapsing on one of the double beds.
“Everyone get some rest, tomorrow we leave for Winchester,” said Sparrow.
The others sat awkwardly on a bed, taking their armour off and looking at their wounds.
Justin sat on a single bed, and looked down at Jax’s phone.
Sparrow sat on the bed opposite. “Someone you need to call?”
“My father. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has the police out for me by now, but I don’t know what to say to him.”
“Just say you lost your phone, and this is the first chance you have had to get in touch, he’ll understand.” She smiled.
He started dialing.
* * * * *
Justin opened his eyes after a night of hardly sleeping. Images of undead warriors mixed with ogres, wizards, and seeing Finn lying dead inside the sarcophagus in the old crypt kept waking him. His joints and muscles ached like he had run a marathon, and the conversation with his father hadn’t gone well. Sparrow’s suggestion only got him so far, and even before he could mention the meeting at Oxford University his father already knew about it as Stanwell had emailed him. ‘Maybe he’ll give you another chance next year, but I wouldn’t count on it,’ his father’s words hurt more than the sword and axe marks of the Draugr, not because he hadn’t got into Stanwell's course, but because of how disappointed his father sounded.
He slipped his glasses back on his face and looked around the room, most were sleeping, apart from Sparrow who was nowhere to be seen.
The blinds were shut, but around him was a modern room, with modern things. For a moment, it felt like he was a time traveller, but he was beginning to not be sure what era was his own.
He had slept in his clothes, so he put his boots back on, and crept across the rough carpet and left the room. The hallways were deserted as he made his way downstairs to the lobby. Then he spotted her, sitting on a comfy chair drinking coffee from a cardboard cup and looking at a map. Until now she had looked older than the late twenties he presumed she was, but as she sipped he was particularly taken by her natural beauty.
“The coffee’s surprisingly good, if you want to get one,” she said as he approached her.
Accepting her offer, he soon had one of his own and was sitting next to her. “So, how we getting to Winchester? Magic carpet?”
Justin thought it was funny, but Sparrow rolled her eyes then returned looking at the map.
“I know a guy, he said he will drive us in his van.”
“Man with a van!”
She looked up. “You’re in a good mood today.”
“Trying to forget that last night I was in a battle with zombies,” he said as he sipped his coffee.
“Not zombies, they were—”
“Draugr, undead warriors, I know. Saying zombies makes it seem—”
“Easier to deal with?”
He looked around the empty seats in the cafe they were in. “Something like that.”
“The guy, he one of us?”
She laughed, although this time he wasn’t joking. “What’s funny?”
“Yes, one of us,” she said, looking back down at the map.
CHAPTER 22
Kat laid amongst the regal sheets, trying to work out how her grandfather got a four-poster bed into such a small room. Must have constructed it in here, I guess.
Either way she was thankful for the rest. Once she had found Darren some bedding, she made sure the downstairs doors were locked, put a bowl of water down for Chip, and collapsed onto Arnold's bed. Six hours later she awoke.
For the past hour,
she had marvelled at the paintings, photographs, and exotic items from around the world that surrounded her. Pulling the lavish bed sheets back she walked over to an old wooden dresser, crowded by silver framed photos.
One of the men in the pictures was wearing attire which was from the late Victorian era, the strange thing was that he looked a lot like how her grandfather did when he was younger, but it couldn’t have been him because that would have made him at least a hundred years old.
There were others standing with him which she didn’t recognize, including an impressive man, with a sword and shield in his hand. At the bottom was written. “Myself and Gus after the battle of Paris, 1925.”
She sat back down on the bed, feeling like she was slowly gathering pieces of a larger puzzle but still didn’t have enough to see the complete picture.
Chip wagged his tail near the bed. He had wanted to jump up during the night, but her grandfather’s bed linen was so rich in quality that she didn’t want it to be torn.
“OK I’ll take you out back soon, hold on.” She put her clothes back on, and put Chip’s leash back around his neck, then walked back down to the old shop. She was about to move down the narrow corridor to the back yard, when she had an overwhelming feeling of déjà vu.
In front of her was the very scene she had ‘imagined’ a few days before. It even smelt the same. Feeling dizzy she reached out to what was closest and knocked over a pile of books. Causing Chip to let out a lowly woof and jump up at her.
“I’m OK, calm down,” she said, gently pushing him away.
Shaking her head and trying not to think too hard about what she just saw, she stepped outside into the small snow-covered yard, taking in a lungful of chilled air to clear her head. High walls, and a gate about fifteen feet from her made it look reasonably private, so she slid Chips leash off his head and let him run free. She then walked back upstairs ignoring the old dark wooden door, which she presumed led to the basement, and peeked into the living room.